Kimmo Timonen
| birth_place = Kuopio, Finland | draft = 250th overall | draft_year = 1993 | draft_team = Los Angeles Kings | career_start = 1991 | career_end = 2015 }} Kimmo Timonen (born Kimmo Samuel Timonen on March 18, 1975) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks. He had played in over 1,100 NHL matches before retiring. During his career, Kimmo had also featured in three IIHF World Junior Championships, seven IIHF World Championships, two World Cups and five Olympic tournaments. Playing Career Kimmo was the youngest player to play for Finland at the 1993 IIHF World Junior Championships at the age of 17. He recorded the second-highest shot total in the tournament with 44. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the tenth round (250th overall) of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. After the draft, Kimmo continued to play in his native Finland for several years, first for KalPa and then later for TPS. In 1998, he played on the bronze medal-winning Finnish Olympic team in Nagano. Shortly after the Olympics, the Kings traded Kimmo (along with Jan Vopat) to the Nashville Predators organization (the team not yet having begun play) in agreement that Nashville would not select Garry Galley in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft. During the 1998-99 NHL season, Kimmo split time between Nashville and their IHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. The following year, he was promoted to a full-time NHL player. He played the next four seasons for the Predators, steadily improving his offensive output, until the 2004-05 NHL lockout. During the lockout, Kimmo played for his hometown team, KalPa, which he partly owns with former Flyers teammate Sami Kapanen. He also persuaded his teammate Adam Hall to play for KalPa for the duration of the lockout. Kimmo represented Finland at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and led his team in scoring with six points, the fifth-highest total overall in the tournament. On October 3, 2006, KImmo was named the captain of the Nashville Predators for the 2006–07 season. That season proved to be a career year for him as he registered career highs in both assists and total points. Following the 2006–07 NHL season, Kimmo was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. Shortly after, he signed a six-year, $37.8 million contract extension with them, a deal which made him the highest paid Finn in the NHL. At the time, his younger brother Jussi Timonen was playing for the Philadelphia Phantoms, the Flyers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, however, Jussi was subsequently traded to the Dallas Stars early in the 2007–08 NHL season. The Flyers beat the Washington Capitals 4–3 and the Montreal Canadiens 4–1 in the first two rounds of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs. During Game 4 of the Flyers' series with Montreal, Kimmo was hit by a wrist shot on his foot by Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov. He felt numbness in his foot as the week progressed, though believed it to be nothing but a twisted nerve. After an MRI failed to reveal any injury, Kimmo had the foot examined at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where on May 8, 2008, the doctor found a small blood clot in his foot. He was sidelined indefinitely and missed the first four games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He returned for Game 5, but the Flyers eventually lost the game and their playoff run came to an end. In the 2009–10 NHL season, Kimmo led all NHL defensemen in shorthanded goals scored, with two. That year, he would play in his first ever Stanley Cup Final even though the Flyers would lose to the Chicago Blackhawks in a six game series. He scored his 100th career goal on March 5, 2011, against the Buffalo Sabres. He ended the season in a tie with Marc Staal for most shorthanded goals among defensemen, with two. On March 1, 2012, Kimmo recorded his 500th career point with an assist against the New York Islanders. On March 18, 2013, he played in his 1,000th NHL game on his 37th birthday. In preparation for the 2014–15 NHL season, on August 5, 2014, Kimmo was diagnosed with blood clots in both of his lungs as well as in his right leg The serious nature of injury ruled him out indefinitely with the Flyers. Approaching the NHL trade deadline and returning to health after missing the first 62 games of the season, Kimmo was traded by the Flyers to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a 2015 second-round pick and 2016 conditional fourth-round pick on February 27, 2015. He left the Flyers organization as the third most productive defenseman in franchise history, with 270 points in 519 games On March 21, 2015, he played in his 1,100th NHL game. On March 5, 2015, Kimmo announced his intent to retire from professional hockey after the 2014-15 NHL season. On June 15, 2015, he won his first Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in the final game of his 20-year career. During the celebration, Kimmo was the first player to receive the Stanley Cup following captain Jonathan Toews. He reflected on his career stating: “''I was dreaming about this moment for a long time, and it’s right here. This game has given me so much, and I’m relieved, happy, ready to leave this game, and I’m leaving this game as a Stanley Cup champion''.” Awards & Achievements *1994: First Team All-Star selection at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships *1997: Matti Keinonen trophy for best +/- in the SM-liiga *2000: Named to NHL All-Star Game, but unable to play due to injury *2004: Played in NHL All-Star Game *2005 : Elected most valuable player in the Mestis playoffs *2007: Played in NHL All Star Game *2008: Named to NHL All-Star Game *2012: Named to NHL All-Star Game *Five-time Barry Ashbee Trophy winner as Philadelphia Flyers best defenseman (2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2014) *2015: Stanley Cup Champion (Chicago Blackhawks) International Play }} Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs Personal Life Kimmo is married to Johanna Timonen and has three children: son Samuel and daughters Elle Amelie and Ava Fiona. He also owns several succesful restaurants and nightclubs in his hometown of Kuopio. Category:1975 births Category:Nashville Predators players Category:Los Angeles Kings draft picks Category:Chicago Blackhawks players Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Brynäs IF players Category:HC Lugano players Category:HIFK players Category:TPS players Category:Finnish ice hockey players